Rafael Nadal joins Real Madrid board
Nadal won 22 grand slam singles titles in a stellar career before retiring in 2024.
Tennis star Rafael Nadal has become a director of Real Madrid.
The club’s board met on Wednesday and agreed to submit to the general assembly of delegate members ratification of Nadal’s appointment as a new member of the board.
Nadal won 22 grand slam singles titles in a stellar career, including a record 14 French Open crowns. He retired from the sport in 2024.
A club statement described Nadal as “one of the greatest legends in the history of sport and one of the most admired and recognised Spanish athletes in the world”.
The statement added: “For Real Madrid and for all Madridismo it is a great pride that a figure of his sporting and human dimension, a benchmark in Spanish and world sport, becomes part of our board of directors and contributes, from this responsibility, to the present and future of our club.”
Real’s statement continued: “With his extraordinary track record, with 92 individual titles, including 22 grand slams, two Olympic gold medals, five Davis Cups with Spain and number one in the world ranking, Rafael Nadal has starred in a legendary sporting career.
“But his figure represents much more than his successes: his talent, his spirit of permanent improvement, his capacity for sacrifice, his competitiveness, his humility, his respect for rivals and his team-mates, and his commitment to solidarity make him an example on and off the courts.
“All these values are part of Real Madrid’s identity and Rafael Nadal has represented and defended them throughout his sporting life, becoming a reference for millions of people around the world.”
Nadal has spoken about his love of Real Madrid since childhood in previous interviews, despite his uncle Miguel Angel Nadal having played for their bitter rivals Barcelona.
Nadal has held honorary membership of Real for years, regularly attending matches at the Bernabeu. He was a guest of honour at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris when Real won their 14th Champions League title.
Responding to the appointment, Nadal wrote on X: “I want to thank President Florentino Pérez and the board for proposing that I join the board of directors of @realmadrid.
“I have accepted this proposal with great excitement, a desire to learn, and a willingness to contribute everything I can.”